Equity Bancshares Inc

Deploying Technology & AI 140 708 AI-LICENSED USERS Live IN PRODUCTION · 1H 2026 ✓ Retail AI Assistant – internal use ✓ Human Resources AI Assistant ✓ Loan Review – streamlining production to focus effort on review and decisioning ✓ Third Party Risk Management – automate diligence review production and round-the-clock monitoring ✓ Financial crime initial reviews In Process BUILDING NOW ✓ Customer Care AI Assistant – internal use ✓ Operations AI Assistant ✓ Credit spread & narrative production for loan packets. Reduce time to produce and focus effort on review and decisioning. ✓ Acquired and Target loan portfolio review – automate line sheet documentation to focus effort on review and decisioning. Next Phase ON THE ROADMAP ✓ Small business loan process automation ✓ SAR narratives – streamline production and focus effort on review and validation AI GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE OTHER SOLUTIONS 35-40% FASTER LOAN REVIEW ON LEGACY EQUITY PORTFOLIO ~5 min INITIAL RISK REVIEW PRODUCTION THIRD PARTY RISK MANAGMENT ~$500K SAVINGS ON PLACEMENT FEE AI-ASSISTED, IN-HOUSE SOURCING OF TALENT Centralized oversight & control of how AI is built, deployed & used Reviews new use cases; validates the models & vendors behind them Approves all AI-generated output, a human in the loop at every step Captures efficiency gains with full risk & regulatory discipline ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

the development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company's business;

Similar wording appears in 12 other banks' reports.

The development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company's business.

Similar wording appears in 12 other banks' reports.

The Company or its third-party (or fourth party) vendors, clients or counterparties may develop or incorporate AI technology in certain business processes, services, or products. The development and use of AI presents a number of risks and challenges to the Company’s business. The legal and regulatory environment relating to AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving, both in the U.S. and internationally, and includes regulatory schemes targeted specifically at AI as well as provisions in intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, employment, and other laws applicable to the use of AI. These evolving laws and regulations could require changes in the Company’s implementation of AI technology and increase the Company’s compliance costs and risk of non-compliance. AI models, particularly generative AI models, may produce output or take actions that is incorrect, that reflects biases included in the data on which they are trained, that results in the release of private, confidential, or proprietary information, that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others, or that is otherwise harmful. In addition, the complexity of many AI models makes it difficult to understand why they are generating particular opinions. This limited transparency increases the challenges associated with assessing the proper operation of AI models, understanding, monitoring the capabilities of the AI models, reducing erroneous output, eliminating bias, and complying with regulations that require documentation or explanation of the basis on which decisions are made. Further, the Company may rely on AI models developed by third parties, and, to that extent, would be dependent in part on the manner in which those third parties develop and train their models, including risks arising from the inclusion of any unauthorized material in the training data for their models and the effectiveness of

Similar wording appears in 26 other banks' reports.

The Trump Administration has commenced efforts to implement significant changes to the size and scope of the federal government and reform its operations to achieve stated goals that include reducing the federal budget deficit and national debt, improving the efficiency of government operations, and promoting innovation and economic growth. To date, these efforts have been carried out through a mix of executive actions aimed at eliminating or modifying federal agency and federal program funding, reducing the size of the federal workforce, reducing or altering the scope of activities conducted by, and possibly eliminating, various federal agencies and bureaus, and encouraging the use of AI and other advanced technologies within the public and private sectors. These changes, if implemented and taken as a whole, may have varied effects on the economy that are difficult to predict. For instance, the delivery of government services and the distribution of federal program funds and benefits may be disrupted or, in some cases, eliminated as a result of funding cuts or recasting of federal agency mandates. Further, a substantial reduction of the federal workforce could adversely affect regional and local economies, both directly and indirectly, in geographies with significant concentrations of federal employees and contractors. It is possible that such comprehensive changes to the federal government may be materially adverse to the regional and local economies where we conduct business and to our customers, which, in turn, could be materially adverse to our business, financial condition and results of operations.

the development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company's business;

Similar wording appears in 12 other banks' reports.

The development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company's business.

Similar wording appears in 12 other banks' reports.

The Company or its third-party (or fourth party) vendors, clients or counterparties may develop or incorporate AI technology in certain business processes, services, or products. The development and use of AI presents a number of risks and challenges to the Company’s business. The legal and regulatory environment relating to AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving, both in the U.S. and internationally, and includes regulatory schemes targeted specifically at AI as well as provisions in intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, employment, and other laws applicable to the use of AI. These evolving laws and regulations could require changes in the Company’s implementation of AI technology and increase the Company’s compliance costs and risk of non-compliance. AI models, particularly generative AI models, may produce output or take actions that is incorrect, that reflects biases included in the data on which they are trained, that results in the release of private, confidential, or proprietary information, that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others, or that is otherwise harmful. In addition, the complexity of many AI models makes it difficult to understand why they are generating particular opinions. This limited transparency increases the challenges associated with assessing the proper operation of AI models, understanding, monitoring the capabilities of the AI models, reducing erroneous output, eliminating bias, and complying with regulations that require documentation or explanation of the basis on which decisions are made. Further, the Company may rely on AI models developed by third parties, and, to that extent, would be dependent in part on the manner in which those third parties develop and train their models, including risks arising from the inclusion of any unauthorized material in the training data for their models and the effectiveness of

Similar wording appears in 26 other banks' reports.

The Trump Administration has commenced efforts to implement significant changes to the size and scope of the federal government and reform its operations to achieve stated goals that include reducing the federal budget deficit and national debt, improving the efficiency of government operations, and promoting innovation and economic growth. To date, these efforts have been carried out through a mix of executive actions aimed at eliminating or modifying federal agency and federal program funding, reducing the size of the federal workforce, reducing or altering the scope of activities conducted by, and possibly eliminating, various federal agencies and bureaus, and encouraging the use of AI and other advanced technologies within the public and private sectors. These changes, if implemented and taken as a whole, may have varied effects on the economy that are difficult to predict. For instance, the delivery of government services and the distribution of federal program funds and benefits may be disrupted or, in some cases, eliminated as a result of funding cuts or recasting of federal agency mandates. Further, a substantial reduction of the federal workforce could adversely affect regional and local economies, both directly and indirectly, in geographies with significant concentrations of federal employees and contractors. It is possible that such comprehensive changes to the federal government may be materially adverse to the regional and local economies where we conduct business and to our customers, which, in turn, could be materially adverse to our business, financial condition and results of operations.

the development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company's business;

Similar wording appears in 7 other banks' reports.

The development and use of AI presents risks and challenges that may adversely impact the Company's business.

Similar wording appears in 7 other banks' reports.

The Company or its third-party (or fourth party) vendors, clients or counterparties may develop or incorporate AI technology in certain business processes, services, or products. The development and use of AI presents a number of risks and challenges to the Company’s business. The legal and regulatory environment relating to AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving, both in the U.S. and internationally, and includes regulatory schemes targeted specifically at AI as well as provisions in intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, employment, and other laws applicable to the use of AI. These evolving laws and regulations could require changes in the Company’s implementation of AI technology and increase the Company’s compliance costs and risk of non-compliance. AI models, particularly generative AI models, may produce output or take actions that is incorrect, that reflects biases included in the data on which they are trained, that results in the release of private, confidential, or proprietary information, that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others, or that is otherwise harmful. In addition, the complexity of many AI models makes it difficult to understand why they are generating particular opinions. This limited transparency increases the challenges associated with assessing the proper operation of AI models, understanding, monitoring the capabilities of the AI models, reducing erroneous output, eliminating bias, and complying with regulations that require documentation or explanation of the basis on which decisions are made. Further, the Company may rely on AI models developed by third parties, and, to that extent, would be dependent in part on the manner in which those third parties develop and train their models, including risks arising from the inclusion of any unauthorized material in the training data for their models and the effectiveness of the steps these third parties have taken to limit the risks associated with the output of their models, matters over which the Company may have limited visibility. Any of these risks could expose the Company to liability or adverse legal or regulatory consequences and harm the Company’s reputation and the public perception of its business or the effectiveness of its security measures.

Similar wording appears in 28 other banks' reports.

The Trump Administration has commenced efforts to implement significant changes to the size and scope of the federal government and reform its operations to achieve stated goals that include reducing the federal budget deficit and national debt, improving the efficiency of government operations, and promoting innovation and economic growth. To date, these efforts have been carried out through a mix of executive actions aimed at eliminating or modifying federal agency and federal program funding, reducing the size of the federal workforce, reducing or altering the scope of activities conducted by, and possibly eliminating, various federal agencies and bureaus, and encouraging the use of AI and other advanced technologies within the public and private sectors. These changes, if implemented and taken as a whole, may have varied effects on the economy that are difficult to predict. For instance, the delivery of government services and the distribution of federal program funds and benefits may be disrupted or, in some cases, eliminated as a result of funding cuts or recasting of federal agency mandates. Further, a substantial reduction of the federal workforce could adversely affect regional and local economies, both directly and indirectly, in geographies with significant concentrations of federal employees and contractors. It is possible that such comprehensive changes to the federal government may be materially adverse to the regional and local economies where we conduct business and to our customers, which, in turn, could be materially adverse to our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Similar wording appears in 6 other banks' reports.

Strategy & Operating Effectiveness SCALABLE EFFICIENCIES – ITMS DIGITAL CHANNEL ENGAGEMENT RISK – SCALE TO $10 BILLION Launched in 2023 Interactive Teller Machine Network 40 Machines – Installed to Date 10-15 Machines – Schedules for Remainder of 2024 75% Transactions opt for self-service instead of speaking to a representative Enhances branch efficiency while continuing focus on customer service Live Chat functionality introduced on public web pages and inside online banking in late 2023. Substantial customer engagement that is steadily increasing each month. Chatbot functionality to be implemented on both public web pages and inside online banking in late 2024. Anticipate drop in live interactions as customers are able to self-service routine questions 24 hours a day. Focus on maturation of Second Line of Defense methodology and framework. Scaling of Enterprise Risk Management function. Strengthen risk culture through education and training, risk awareness program, and tone from the top. Establish working risk-related frameworks and taxonomies to support sound risk and compliance infrastructure.